Interior Minister Meets Members of White Noise Movement

Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia and leaders of the White Noise movement agreed at their meeting earlier today to set up two working groups – one on the drug policy reform and another on scrutinizing the May 12 raid on Tbilisi’s top music clubs.

Davit Subeliani, one of the leaders of the White Noise movement, told reporters after the meeting that the sides did not cover the two issues in detail, and that they only agreed the format and the topics of their future meetings.

The second working group, according to Beka Tsikarishvili, another leader of the White Noise movement, will meet in coming days, but “exact details have yet to be determined.”

Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, who also attended the meeting today, said the Ministry agreed to release the raid-related police camera footages to her office. “We will have a chance to examine every single instance [of detention],” she said.

Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia commented on the meeting as well, saying the Ministry was ready to inquire into whether police officers exceeded power during the May 12 operation.

He, however, stressed the police operation was necessary: “over the past 14 days, requests for emergency medical services from night clubs and hospitalization with narcotic intoxication has increased multiple times, reaching 48, so the police was forced to use the measure.”

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